The Chinese Communist Party

Inspired by the Russian Revolution the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was established in Shanghai by Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao in June 1921. Early members included Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and Lin Biao. Mao Zedong soon became the most important member of the CCP. He adapted the ideas of Lenin who had successfully achieved a revolution in Russia in 1917. He argued that in Asia it was important to concentrate on the countryside rather than the towns, in order to create a revolutionary elite. When the Japanese Army invaded the heartland of China in 1937, Chiang Kai-Shek was forced to move his capital from Nanking to Chungking. He lost control of the coastal regions and most of the major cities to Japan. In an effort to beat the Japanese he agreed to collaborate with Mao Zedong and his communist army. During the Second World War the communist guerrilla forces were well led by Zhu De and Lin Biao. The communists gradually gained control of the country.

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As soon as the Japanese surrendered, Communist forces began a war against the Kuomintang. After a lengthy civil war, the CPC defeated the Kuomintang (KMT), and assumed full control of mainland China by 1949. On 1st October, 1949, Mao Zedong announced the establishment of People's Republic of China. The Kuomintang retreated to the island of Taiwan, where it still remains to this day.